The Bolivarian revolution will be televised

His government is bankrolling a new television network, Telesur, that has plans to broadcast news, sports and educational programs across Latin America beginning this summer.

Its organizers say it will not be a Venezuelan government mouthpiece, but Chávez is providing 70 percent of its funding, fueling concerns that the organizers of the network may not have a choice in the matter.

Would Hugo's al-Jazeera have any success in Latin America? It remains to be seen. Certainly the TV audience generally has much greater access to local programming that features a variety of uncensored political viewpoints, international events, and local and trans-national entertainment. Many countries in Latin America have substantial middle-classes, and different religions, so the demographic is much different.

I am certain, however, that Hugo's weekly 5-hr program won't be going to the top of the rankings in Puerto Rico.

a Mexican newspaper is reporting Havana played the middleman in the purchase of weapons for Mexican Marxist guerrillas seeking to overthrow the government. The cash reportedly came from the Mexican mayor's office, and the purchase was done by fidel's obedient colony, Venezuela. The Mexican mayor is currently poised to be the next Mexican president.

If this is the kind of thing Chavez and castro have in store for Mexico, colluding with the leftist mayor of Mexico City to bankroll violent Marxist guerrillas, there are some very grim times ahead for the U.S. We don't need that kind of castro garbage on our border.

Raymundo Riva Palacio at El Universal (who claims that the USA is creating -- where have I heard this one before -- "another Vietnam" in Colombia, as if the Colombians themselves had nothing to do with the deplorable state of their own country) writes (my translation)

The Federal government, which attentively follows the EPR's moves (Ejército Popular Revolucionario, EPR, the strongest guerrilla operating in México), hasn't raised a red flag on Chávez's weapons transaction with Cuba's help, because according to their sources, the shipment was not all that large. Nonetheless, there's an incresing concern that López Obrador can't control what influential members of his own party are doing behind his back, and that, in view of the deterioration in Mexican-Cuaban relations, what Castro never did before -- supporting Mexican guerillas -- might become part of the new pattern of real politik between Mexico and Habana

I hasten to clarify that Riva Palacio's article is couched in terms of "anonymous sources" and "allegations". It is, however, interesting to read about the deterioration in Mexican-Cuban relations. For decades Mexico was very supportive of Castro.

Lula held the summit to promote free trade among Southern-Hemisphere countries, and to showcase Brazil as a leader among those countries. (I am rather sympathetic to Lula -- with some reservations, considering the Summit's statement on Israel, and property rights -- but that's a subject for another post).

Among the things Hugo did that annoyed Lula were his statements that the USA wants to impose its own brand of capitalism on other countries, that the Summit's statement condemming terrorism should have a proviso allowing for a country's resisting its occupation by another country (which prompted several to ask, "so we're talking about good terrorism and bad terrorism?").